Anilrgowda

Question: Hello all. I'm setting up a cluster and accidentally put the wrong Administrator password on one of the servers. How do I change it? Thanks, Jordan

Anilrgowda

Do you just want to change it (1), or have you forgotten it (2)?

1) On a 2000/2003 server, log on as the Administrator, press Ctrl+Alt+Del and click the option to change password.
Or... open active directory users and computers. In the Users OU (Organizational Unit) right click on the Administrator account and choose reset password.

2)There are several ways to reset the administrators password. Retrieving it is a much greater task. A warning though if you have set up EFS (Encrypted File System) you will loose the administrators access certificate.
The following link lists the most popular options. The first requires a third party and the second is the most common method.
Forgot the Administrator's Password? - Windows Password Recovery - Windows Password Reset

Another option (my favorite) is to create a BartPE boot CD and add the Sala Windows Password Renew 1.1 plugin.
The Bart CD boots to a Windows environment from the CD and the Sala utility allows you to create a new admin account and password. With that, you could log in and edit the existing accounts. You can also reset the Administrators password with the Bart CD and Sala application though creating the new account is the safer method.
The basic Bart CD includes many useful utilities and there are hundreds of plugins/add-ons available on the internet. Best of all it is free.
Links to create the BartCD and obtain the Sala plugin are listed below. Though it takes a bit to create your first CD it is a very useful set of tools, to have handy in emergencies :
Bart's Preinstalled Environment (BartPE) bootable live windows CD/DVD
Bart's way to create bootable CD-Roms (for Windows/Dos)
Password Renew at sala source